Reading words for first graders

First Grade Sight Words List

Sight words are words that appear frequently in most of the text kids read, but can't easily be sounded out. Learning to recognize sight words through—you guessed it—sight is the easiest and quickest way for early readers to progress and become confident.

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These two tables list common sight words and cover not only words that first graders should recognize on sight by the end of the year, Table 2 includes words that they should be able to read, write and spell. So get crackin'!

Use these lists of common words to help children improve reading skills quickly by using the words in games. A sight words memory game is easy to make with paper and markers, or, make a hopping good time out of it with a physical word game that's good for outside and can be adapted to indoors.

Need more sight words practice? Download our sight words flashcards to help your child master over 100 new words.  

Learning sight words doesn't have to be all rote memorization. Our free online sight words games help make mastering new words fun, with silly interactive games full of themes and gameplay every kind of kid will love.

Check out our first grade resources page for more games, lesson plans, and worksheets that focus on literacy and word practice.

Next Article: 100 High-Frequency Words for Older Students

First Grade Sight Words (Dolch sight word list)

How many words per minute a child in 1st grade should read

Reading is an important skill , that children begin to master literally from the first days of schooling. Reading speed is directly related to academic performance. Therefore, in each grade of elementary school, teachers periodically check the reading technique of children. Let's find out how many words per minute a child should read in grade 1 and how to increase reading speed.

First grade reading technique

In Russian schools, the reading technique of primary school students is tested twice during the school year - in the first half of the year and in the second. Some teachers do this every quarter. Such a check is needed to evaluate the following indicators:

• Way of reading. The teacher watches how the child reads: he reads the words in full or syllable by syllable or even by letter, pronounces them smoothly or abruptly, slows down on complex and long words.
• Reading speed. This is the speed with which a first grader is able to read an unfamiliar text (how many words per minute he reads).
• Correct. The teacher pays attention not only to the number of words read per minute, but also to the correctness of their pronunciation. The nature of these errors is also taken into account (incorrect pronunciation, omission of some words, incorrect emphasis).
• Awareness. The student must not only read the text, but also grasp its essence, understand what it is about.

The main indicator that the teacher focuses on is the number of words that the student reads in one minute. According to the norms, by the end of the first semester, a first-grader should read 25-30 words, and by the end of the second - 30-40 words.

Games with which the child will love to read and write

How to improve the reading technique of a first grader?

If your child does not reach the specified norm, do not be discouraged. Reading technique can be improved and it's not that hard. To do this, you need to start reading regularly at home. But don't force your child to do it by force. Reading should give him pleasure. And this is possible only if it causes interest.

Try to instill in your son or daughter a love of reading. To do this, select the literature that is interesting to him. It can be fairy tales, stories and stories about animals, fantastic stories or something else. Many children like children's detective stories. The twisted plot involuntarily attracts the attention of the child, prompting him to read on.

Study different literature with your child and find out what he likes. Remember what you yourself loved to read as a child, find these books and offer them to your son or daughter. Good for first graders:

• Russian folk tales and tales of the peoples of the world;
• fairy tales by G. H. Andersen, A. Pushkin, the Brothers Grimm, C. Perrault;
• stories by N. Nosov, V. Dragunsky, E. Uspensky, M. Zoshchenko.

Having selected the most interesting works, proceed to the reading technique training. Choose a convenient time when you are not in a hurry. If the book is electronic, download it to your phone or tablet and set the font that is comfortable for the student.

Convenient holders for tablets, whiteboards and books

Sit with your child and have them read aloud to you. Don't rush him. The main thing is not the speed of reading, but the correct pronunciation of words. The speed will develop by itself with regular practice. Correct the student if he reads incorrectly, explain the meaning of unfamiliar words. The child should not just read, but understand what the text is about. Be sure to discuss what you read and ask questions.

Read 20 minutes a day. This is quite enough, it is only necessary that classes be regular. If the child is carried away by the work and wants to read further - please. The main thing is that he does not do it through force, otherwise the classes will begin to disgust him.

Some strict parents force the child to read for hours, thereby literally instilling in him a dislike for this occupation. Growing up, such children do not touch books for a very long time. So don't overdo reading. Don't forget to take breaks for games :)

Tips for improving the reading technique of a first-grader

To read not only quickly, but also expressively, it is useful to pronounce tongue twisters. Find tongue twisters to practice different letters and sounds and have your son or daughter memorize them. Let him repeat them at any convenient time - on the way to school, during the game, etc. Patter is excellent for training the speed and clarity of speech.

Notice how the child breathes while reading aloud. If he stops in mid-sentence to take a breath, then he is not breathing properly. You need to pronounce the phrase on the exhale, and take in air in the pause between sentences. Let the child practice taking in more air into the lungs and reading the entire sentence. Proper breathing will make speech smoother and speed up the pace of reading.

Reading by syllables significantly slows down the pace. If the student reads syllable by syllable, teach him to read the whole word. To do this, place the stresses in the words and invite your son or daughter to read them. If the child pays attention to stresses, it will be very difficult for him to read in syllables and he will be forced to pronounce the words in full.

Using these simple practices, your first-grader will quickly master the reading technique and during the next test in the class will be able to meet the standards, and maybe even show an even better result.

How many words per minute a first-grader should read

Children come to the first grade with very different skill levels. Someone already fluently reads whole stories, the other can barely read a line by syllables. Many parents diligently teach their children to read before school. And it is no accident: despite the fact that there are no official requirements for reading standards for a child entering school, testing a child for reading speed in the first grade will begin at the end of the first half of the year. According to the indicative norms of the Federal State Educational Standard, a first-grader should read 25-30 words per minute in the first half of the year and 30-40 in the second. Note that the norms are indicative, so gymnasiums, for example, can raise the bar higher, and correctional schools, on the contrary, lower it a little. Here are some tips on how to make learning to read effective and comfortable for you and your child.

Don't chase reading speed

That's right. After all, if you train a child specifically for the speed of pronunciation of words, then he will be able to learn how to quickly read the text, but he will not understand what he read. Don't do your child a disservice. School performance is, of course, important, but not only the praise of the teacher is at stake, but also the development of the child. Therefore, when teaching a child to read, pay attention to the semantic content of the text, discuss with him the characters, their words and deeds, together recall the events of the books read earlier. The speed will be gained gradually, thanks to constant practice and several useful exercises.

Choose the right literature

It is better to start learning to read with books "by age", well illustrated, with large letters and not too long words - consisting of two or three syllables. In addition, it is important that all the words in the book are familiar to the child.

Don't overdo it

Don't start learning to read too early, experts advise not to do this before the age of 5, because the child's body during this period absorbs all the impressions of the surrounding world, but is not yet ready to perceive the text. But he will be happy to listen to your reading and from an early age he will perceive a book in his hands as something obviously fascinating. Do not force a child to read, do not turn the joy of reading into a duty. Try not to intimidate him with upcoming checks, otherwise interest will instantly turn into a routine. Learning to read for a child is a lot of work. If the child is tired, there is nothing wrong with you reading aloud to him.

Learn by playing

You can collect words from cubes with spellings written on them. You can guess cards with inscriptions and drawings. Or read stories in which some words are replaced by pictures. In any case, the process of reading at first should include something else besides reading itself. A game element that will support the interest of the child and will not let him run out of steam at the very beginning of learning.

Game exercises for developing reading speed

If your child has already learned to read whole words and combine them into sentences, it's time to think about developing reading speed.

Play animals with him: try to imagine and show how a horse gallops, how a horse speaks and how a horse reads? How does a turtle work? And the tiger?

Try to read by roles on behalf of different characters in the story. Surely they will have not only different timbres, but also different pronunciation speeds.

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